Solar Express (54 page)

They couldn't have made it much easier. Let's see if replacing the elements is as easy as finding them.

The hardest part of the repair, Tavoian discovered, was determining which element went where, because the elements were the same size and shape, and only the symbols on the side, which was in an almost unreadable form of optically recognized lettering, at least theoretically optically recognized, made it difficult to determine which fit into which slots. As a result, the comparatively easy repair took more than a half hour.

ALL COMMUNICATIONS AND NAVIGATION SYSTEMS ARE OPERATING WITHIN ACCEPTABLE PARAMETERS.

Tavoian didn't like that phasing. “How much is their capability reduced?”

NO MORE THAN TEN PERCENT.

“What caused the problem?”

A BURST OF HEAVY MIXED RADIATION. IT INCLUDED GAMMA RAYS, UV RAYS, X-RAYS, AND COSMIC RAYS.

“All together in one burst?”

THE SENSORS RECORDED THAT BEFORE THEY WENT OFF-LINE.

“How much penetrated the shielding?”

THERE WAS MINIMAL INTRUSION INTO RECON THREE.

“Minimal? How minimal?”

THE APPROXIMATE DOSAGE IN THE CONTROL AREA WAS POINT FIVE SIEVERT.

Tavoian winced. That was about half of the total career exposure that would disqualify him from any other long-range trips for the rest of his time as a pilot. “What about other radiation? Was it a solar proton event?”

IT WAS SIMILAR TO A SOLAR PROTON EVENT. YOU SHOULD REMAIN IN THE CONTROL AREA FOR THE NEXT SIX HOURS OR UNTIL NECESSARY.

Until after the CME or whatever the sun has thrown off following that energy surge arrives and passes over Recon three.
Hopefully not penetrating the shielding to any great degree.

Tavoian was about to check for new messages before he smiled wryly.
You can't receive messages when your comm system isn't working.
That also meant he needed to send a message to the colonel and Donovan Base to tell them that his comm system had been out and for how long. He doubted that anyone would have been sending him messages in the middle of the “standard” night, but he wasn't about to assume that blindly.

Another thought hit him. The secondary effects of the SPE could scramble his comm and sensors again. “Once I send this message, take all comm and sensors off-line until the SPE heavy storm passes.”

THE SHIP WILL BE UNABLE TO DETECT ANYTHING IN ITS PATH.

“If we lose more sensors, we may not be able to navigate back. The command stands.”

ONCE YOU SEND THE MESSAGE, COMM AND SENSORS WILL GO OFF-LINE.

After Tavoian sent the brief message, including the fact that he was shutting off comm as a precautionary measure, he dimmed the control area lights and tried to go back to sleep, since he was essentially confined there where the ship shields and magnetic diverters would, hopefully, keep the bulk of whatever had generated the solar proton event from doing excessive damage to his body.

When he woke at 0617 UTC, he had another headache, and he realized that he'd never even asked about the ship's CO2 level.

“Present level of CO2?”

THE CURRENT LEVEL IS SIX POINT TWO PERCENT. SYSTEMS ARE FUNCTIONING WITHIN OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS.

Six point two percent and systems are working?
Tavoian had some doubts about that. With CO2 levels exceeding six percent and with almost another four days to go …
But people have survived without brain damage at levels less than seven point five percent for days on end.
For all that Tavoian was worried.

“Have we had the secondary storm from the solar proton storm?”

THERE HAS BEEN NO INDICATION OF THAT SO FAR.

He almost asked if there had been any messages before recalling that he'd shut off the comm system.

He took his time fixing something to eat and staring at the largely blank screen wall, before he flipped through the library of music selections and called up a random arrangement of classical instrumental music. He could have read something, but he'd never been fond of reading off the control screens. Somehow they were harder on his eyes than a personal screen, no matter how techs insisted that the control screens could be adjusted to levels the same as personal screens. He'd listened to them and left his personal screen in his quarters at Donovan Base.

He'd only been listening for twenty minutes when the ship's AI announced,
A CORONAL MASS EJECTION IS STRIKING THE SHIP.

The fact that the AI could detect it with all external monitors and sensors shut down and shuttered suggested to Tavoian that the CME was indeed powerful.

“Can you tell how strong it is?”

WITH ONLY INDIRECT MEASUREMENTS, ABSOLUTE ACCURACY IS NOT POSSIBLE. INDICATIONS ARE THAT IT IS A HIGH X CLASS OR STRONGER.

“How much is getting through the shields?”

THE CUMULATIVE EXPOSURE DOSAGE CANNOT BE DETERMINED YET.

In short, you're still getting exposed.

By the time the CME had passed, or when the internal detectors could find no trace of increased radiation, the internal monitors showed that Tavoian had taken another point four sievert of radiation exposure.

So much for seeing Mars or anything far from orbit.

THE CURRENT CO2 EXPOSURE LEVEL IS NOW SIX POINT THREE PERCENT.

Then again, Tavoian thought, worrying about long-term health effects was becoming very secondary to shorter-term concerns.

After another half hour, he had the AI unshutter the sensors and communications systems. He immediately sent a message requesting possible other techniques for dealing with the continued rise in CO2.

 

77

URGENT!!!

C
LASSIFICATION
: E
YES
O
NLY

Background:

The Sinese “research” ship, a converted prototype dreadnought [code name: Onyx Hammer] that intercepted the alien artifact [Solar Express] on 16 November 2114 departed the artifact late on 1 December 2114. That departure contravened orders issued by the Sinese Space Command. The “research” vessel exploded catastrophically shortly after the Solar Express itself exploded at perihelion. Reports from the Farside lunar observatory [COFAR] and other installations confirm the total destruction of the alien artifact concurrent with a solar flare and a massive coronal mass ejection [CME]. The CME poses a significant and imminent threat to the security, peace, and power infrastructure of every nation on Earth, especially Noram.

Current Situation:

The CME will not strike Earth directly, but an edge will impact the Earth's magnetosphere with potentially devastating physical and strategic effects. Impact time is projected at 1311 UTC today [2 December 2114]. The energy level of the CME is sufficient to degrade or destroy all unhardened communications facilities. It may even severely damage or destroy some hardened facilities. Extremely high levels of radiation are likely for all facilities or facilities in geocentric or lunar orbits and crews and passengers in standard fusionjet transports. Those levels could exceed lifetime safe limits for all personnel who are not fully shielded from the CME. DOD and Continental Security have been notified of the CME and its possible effects.

Recommended Actions:

•
Immediately warn all off-Earth personnel and assure they are in shielded locations (as possible).

•
Place all sensitive nonessential electronic and communications systems on Earth and off-Earth in off-line status.

•
Have all on-Earth and off-Earth electronics disconnected from networks/systems vulnerable to solar effects one hour prior to impact time.

•
Disengage all power systems from above ground power lines [as possible] before one hour prior to impact time.

•
Immediately disseminate warnings to all power generation and transmission systems in Noram. Also notify all air transport entities.

•
Alert National Guard and law enforcement agencies to the likelihood of widespread power system and associated electric and electronic failures.

•
Assure that DOEA and Defense facility security forces are in place and prepared as possible for several weeks of continuous service, as necessary.

NOTE TO FILE:

Deputy Secretary and acting Secretary verbally briefed, commencing at 0600 UTC, 2 December 2114. President and Chief of Staff briefed at 0615 UTC.

 

78

R
ECON
T
HREE

2 D
ECEMBER
2114

By midmorning Tavoian was getting more nervous, even though he knew there was nothing else he could do, either about the SPE or CME, whichever it had been, but he couldn't not worry. A massive CME or SPE could do major damage to electrical and communications systems in space and sometimes even more to power infrastructure Earthside.

Maybe it will miss Earth.
That was possible, according to the figures he ran through the ship's AI. The same figures showed that a direct hit on Earth and its magnetosphere was also possible. With the incomplete data Recon three had, either was possible.

INCOMING MESSAGES RECEIVED
.

“How many?”

THERE ARE THREE
.

Three?
He immediately checked the senders—one from the colonel, one from Alayna, and one from Kit. He started with the colonel's message.

Tavoian, Christopher A.

Major, NSC

NSS-21/Recon Three

Information received from COFAR and other sources indicates the edge of significant coronal mass ejection will impact Earth's magnetosphere and all facilities in Earth orbit, on the sunside of Luna, and in lunar orbits. Time of impact estimated at 1315 UTC. All communication facilities will be shuttered and off-line. All power generation systems will be off-line during the duration of the CME.

No additional CO2 reduction strategies feasible for use on Recon three available yet. Will send any feasible strategy when possible.

No problems expected with docking/return to base.

Continue daily reports.

That was it. No CO2 reduction strategies. Nothing else.

While Tavoian hadn't expected much else, he was still irritated. He was even more irritated when he realized that Alayna's message had been sent almost ten hours earlier.

As he began to read and think about it, he got even more angry … for several minutes, until he realized that the delay might simply be because the colonel was the only one allowed to read and forward messages … and Alayna's message had arrived at Donovan Base in the middle of the night.

He shook his head. Like it or not, he couldn't have done anything any differently even if he had known. He continued to read, his eyes widening as he took in the next lines.

A solar flare and some unidentified phenomenon interacted with the Solar Express to create an energy burst and a massive coronal mass ejection. There's no sign of anything remaining of the artifact …

There's no sign of it?
That seemed unbelievable. Material that was totally nonconductive and seemingly impregnable … just gone as if it had never been. And how could a solar flare…? When she had time, she'd let him know.

He did appreciate not only Alayna's efforts to warn him, but the words that suggested more than mere responsibility. He still had trouble believing that the artifact was totally gone, but the single image of that ray of light or energy striking the dark spot of the artifact had looked incredible.
But how could that have happened?
He didn't know of any solar phenomenon that looked like that.
You're not an astrophysicist, either.

But he'd tested and measured the artifact, and the Sinese had used an extremely high-powered laser. Still … that light beam looked to have been focused somehow … but how? How could the sun focus anything like that?

Tavoian decided he didn't have any answers, and reluctantly turned his attention to Kit's unopened message. He truly dreaded opening and reading it, but he took a deep breath and began.

Dear Chris,

Perhaps I've always tried to protect you, but I can tell you already know what I haven't said. Mother died last Saturday …

At those words, Tavoian stopped reading. It wasn't that, in a way, he hadn't already known … or that he wanted to deny her death. He couldn't even quite say, even to himself, what he felt. Their mother had always been on the verge of fragility, for as long as he could recall, but her vitality, her spirit, her will … all had overshadowed that lack of robust physicality. And now …

Finally, he resumed reading.

 … her spirit was strong to the last, but as we both know, her spirit was always stronger than her body. In the end, the T3 and her body were too much for that spirit. There won't be any service or memorial. That was what she wanted. Dad isn't up to it, either.

Tavoian could imagine that. It wasn't that his parents had been physically inseparable, because they'd each done what they felt needed to be done, but different as they'd been in some ways, they'd always been connected by the need for meaning in life, and the understanding that each needed to find that meaning in their own way.